If you were one of the unlucky ones not picked in whopping 233,000 H1B 2016 Lottery Applications , you might be already wondering when is the next H1B season going to start. Also, some of you may be studying in US and some working abroad and planning to work in US next year. This page will be constantly updated with the latest details and commonly asked questions around the next upcoming H1B Visa fiscal year of 2017 season news and updates.
[alert type=”warning” close=”false” heading=”H1B Visa Cap reached for FY 2017, Lottery Done “] On April 7th, H1B Cap for FY 2017 was reached. Lottery was done on April 9th. Read News Summary – Over 236,000 Petitions for FY2017 [/alert]
- H1B 2017 season start date ?
- H1B Cap for FY 2017- Regular ? Masters ?
- H1B 2017 Predictions? Lottery?
- H1B Lottery Myths ?
- How to plan for H1B FY 2017 ?
- How to find H1B Sponsors for FY 2017 ?
- What is H1B Fee ? Details
- Any impact of Comprehensive Immigration Reform(CIR) on H1B
- What is H1B LCA
- H1B 2017 Premium Processing
- H1B 2017 Case Tracker
- Latest News Update of H1B 2017
- When is the next H1B Season ?
- Sample H1B Reject Notices for FY 2017
When will the H1B visa 2017 season start ? Date ?
Short answer April 1st 2016. Typically, USCIS will start to accept petitions for the next fiscal year starting from April 1st of the previous fiscal year. USCIS fiscal year is from October 1st to September 30th. So, for H1B quota of fiscal year 2017, which starts from October 1st, 2017, USCIS would typically accept applications from April 1st, 2016. The H1B Visa 2016 season started on April 1st of 2015. Also, in the H1B Rejected Notices of 2016, USCIS mentioned that, the non-selected candidates can file H1B petitions for FY 2017 on or after April 1st, 2016.
USCIS announced on March 16th, 2016 that they will accept FY 2017 petitions from April 1st, 2016. Read Summary of USCIS press release FY 2017 .
Also, we have written an article summarizing on What to expect in H1B FY 2017 Season
What is H1B 2017 Cap ? What are the H1B 2017 Quota numbers ? Regular vs Masters ?
If you new to H1B, I suggest you read All about H1B Visa Cap- Regular vs Masters. In simple terms H1B cap is a congressional mandated maximum number of petitions that USCIS can accept in a year. As of now, below are the H1B cap number for fiscal year 2017. The below numbers are confirmed in press release by USCIS on Mar 16, 2016.
- Regular H1B Quota : 65,000
- H1B Master’s Degree Quota ( only US Master Degrees) : 20,000
- Out of the above, a total of 6,800 is usually set aside for Singapore and Chile citizens as part of the free trade agreement between them.
There have been many discussions around change in H1B cap numbers by Obama administration since 2013. The planned proposal was to increase the regular quota cap to 110,000 and Masters quota to 25,000. No changes for FY 2017, the above numbers of 65,000 and 20,000 are officially confirmed by USCIS in their press release.
What is H1B Visa 2017 Prediction? Will there be Lottery again for FY 2017
Update : USCIS Updated on April 12th, 2016 that they have received over 236,000 petitions for FY 2017 quota and the lottery was completed on April 9th.
Looking at the past trend of H1B season in the past three years, we could very likely have lottery for FY 2017. Last year for FY 2016 quota, there were 233,000 applications. We have done a detail analysis with the H4 Visa EAD rule in place considering the economy, students graduating, OPT news, etc. You should read article H1B Visa 2017 Lottery Prediction News, results, Date .
If H1B lottery, will there be any preference in lottery for Large companies ? Premium Processing
Well, no preference for anyone, all are treated equally, including premium processing. There are many such misconceptions about lottery process, we have compiled a list of such myths and criteria, you should read Myths of H1B Lottery, Criteria
When to plan for H1B visa 2017 Application ? How soon ? What should be the strategy ?
It is never too late to start planning for your H1B 2017 season. If you plan to work in US on H1B visa in the next coming fiscal year, below are some suggestions based on your situation.
- F1 Student in USA : If you are studying on F1 visa and about to graduate in next one year, you should seriously look at finding an internship or co-op at companies that can sponsor your H1B visa. You can search for H1B Sponsors in a particular area using our H1B Sponsors Search Tool and try to get an internship to work there on CPT or OPT after you graduate. This is a strategic move and will require sometime, so plan well.
- Professional from outside USA : If you are a working professional outside US, planning to work in US on H1B, your best bet is to find Multinational companies that have major US presence and secure a job there, so that you can position internally for applying to H1B visa, when the season starts. This is a very strategic decision, you need to carefully assess your options, speak to the company if such options exist and then only choose it.
- Other H4, L1 Visas : If you are on these visas, your best bet is to find companies just like I mentioned for F1 students that sponsor H1B visas and start interviewing and keeping the conversation going so that you can ask them to file H1B when the season starts.
We have put together a Step by Step Plan on How to apply for H1B 2017 Quota
How do I find a H1B Visa Sponsor – The most asked million dollar question ?
If you are student in the US, it is very straight forward, you find the list of H1B Sponsoring companies using the tool in an area as I mentioned above and get an internship in one of them so that they can sponsor your H1B visa. Unlike, if you are coming from outside US, it can be tricky. If you work for an Multinational company ( MNC), then they will have some internal process to pick the candidates and then process H1B visa for them…The other option that has been used and abused is the consulting companies route…Many a times, the H1B aspirants approach a body shop IT consulting company to file H1B for them and they apply for the same. It gets nasty with the body shop consulting companies. The comments on this H1B Companies Reviews article are quite eye opening. I advise, you beware of the consulting companies and avoid fraud. Also, WE as RedBus2US do NOT provide any guidance or assistance or sponsor anything. If someone claims that, it is pure fraud and they are trying to trick you, we are not responsible for that. Please be careful. Anyways, for various other options , You may read article How to find H1B 2017 Sponsors
What is the H1B visa 2017 filing fee ? Is it same or any changes ?
It changed slightly this year with the Omnibus Bill passed in December 2015, that will increase the H1B filing fee by $4000 for FY 2017, until 2025 for certain companies that have over 50 employees and have more than 50% of their employees as H1B or L1 visa holders in USA. Check USCIS Guidelines on H1B Fee increase. Depending on the size of the company, the H1B filing fee can vary anywhere from $1,600 USD to $7,400 USD + Attorney Fee. There are various fees components that make up this number range, for more details Read Summary of H1B Filing Fee 2017 – Who pays for What ? . Below is a high level summary. Also, one key change is that, there was $2000 USD additional filing fee as per Public Law 111-230, this law expired on Sep 30, 2015 and that is not included anymore.
| H1B Fee Component | Fee in USD |
| Base filing fee | $325 |
| AICWA Fee | $750 or $1,500 |
| Fraud prevent & detection fee | $500 |
| Fee based on Public Law 114-113 ( if applicable) | $4000 |
| Premium processing fee (Optional) | $1,225 |
| Immigration Attorney Fee | Varies from $500 to $3000 |
What about Comprehensive Immigration Reform(CIR) and Obama Executive Actions for H1B 2017 Quota Increase ?
There has been many articles and discussions since 2013 around immigration reform by President Obama and changes around and some like below have been discussed in the last couple of years, nothing moved significantly.
- H1B Cap to be increased from 65,000 to 110,000 per year. Also have provisions to have it up to 180,000 in case of extreme demand.
- Advanced degree from US cap quota to increase from 20,000 to 25,000
- The Filing fee for H1B could go up to 10,000 USD ( Part of this came up as the fee increase in Omnibus Bill )
- Additional H1B rules to avoid H1B Visa fraud by employers
- Mandatory LCA posting for 30 days before it is certified.
The current status on all of the above are basically “No updates”, there are no set deadlines for any of them and none of these are happening for FY 2017. You may read Summary of CIR Changes to H1B . Officially as per press release on March 16, 2016, the H1B cap is confirmed to be 65,000 for regular and 20,000 for masters…hence, no changes.
What is LCA for H1B Visa ? Processing times ?
LCA is a form that has to be filed with US Dept of Labor and get it certified before filing H1B petition with USCIS. It has to be sent along with H1B Package to USCIS. It has all the relevant information about the job position like wage, location, title, etc. It takes about 7 working days for processing of the LCA by US Dept of Labor (DOL). You can read complete details at Why is LCA Needed for H1B – Processing Time, Salary
USCIS Updated in their original press release on March 16, 2016 that the premium processing will begin no later than May 16, 2016. But, on April 22nd, they updated that the premium processing for FY 2017 will begin on May 12th, 2016. What it means is that the official 15 calendar day SLA for premium processing petitions will be starting from 12th. USCIS may process the petitions early as well, but officially their clock starts on that day.
H1B 2017 Case Tracker :
Did you apply for FY 2017 ? We have put together a tracker along with good graphs for analysis. It is completely anonymous as we do not capture your case number or any personal information. It is community contributed data, the more you add, the better for everyone, including You !
[prompt type=”left” title=”Track your H1B Case” message=” Anonymously Track your H1B Case – Share and Get updated from Community.” button_text=”H1B 2017 Case Tracker” href=”https://redbus2us.com/trackers/h1b-visa-tracker/”]
Most Recent News of FY 2017 H1B
Below is the most recent news regarding H1B 2017 season. You can check the updates page as indicated below for the full history and details.
- July 8th, 2016 ( Official ) : USCIS released a press note today indicating that they have completed returning all the petitions that were not selected in the H1B lottery for FY 2017. Read More details here
- May 2nd, 2016 ( Official Update ) : USCIS updated that data entry is complete for selected petitions in lottery. if you were selected, you should receive receipt notices in 2 to three weeks. If not, the chances are very slim to get selected. You should look at your plan B. Read H1B Data Entry Complete Article for full details
- April 22nd, 2016 : (Official Update) USCIS Updated that they will start premium processing from May 12th, instead of May 16th.
- April 12th, 2016 – 6:30 PM EST : Official Update : USCIS released a press note that H1B lottery was completed on April 9th and they received over 236,000 petitions for FY 2017 quota. Read Press Release Summary
- April 12th, 2016 – 11:50 AM CST ( Unofficial Update ) : It is reported on blog by attorney ( immigrationgirl ) that they have received about 40 email receipts of Premium Processing. What it means is that USCIS has already conducted lottery. We will keep you posted with updates. If I am not wrong, they are just drafting the press release now.
[prompt type=”left” title=”H1B 2017 – Latest News Updates” message=” Most recent and complete history of all latest breaking news updates from Official sources like USCIS and Unofficial sources for FY 2017 Season.” button_text=”Latest H1B 2017 News” href=”https://redbus2us.com/h1b-visa-2017-cap-count-updates-tracker-news/”]
When is the next H1B Season ?
The next H1B season starts on April 1st, 2017. Wondering about your next chance for H1B and various details about the next H1B season, check out H1B Visa 2018 FAQs
Sample H1B Reject Notices for FY 2017 ?
USCIS has started to mail out the reject notices for FY 2017 petitions that were not picked in lottery. It says that the start date for next year H1B season is April 1, 2017. You can check out the Sample Reject Notice for FY 2017, Details
We have many more FAQs around H1B Visa 2017. We will continue to keep updating the page with latest news and updates regarding FY 2017. Bookmark this page and keep checking for updates.
We can keep our hopes alive till this Friday 😉
Anyone in wipro got any update today?
Infy Pune DC,
Any updates in your DC.. Is the above comment is true?
Also, prvs day, i saw another comment regarding Pune DC notification.
Hi ,
I have applied for H1B this year through two different employers. Both went through the lottery process and got receipt numbers. If I get both the petitions approved can an choose any one employer and go for visa stamping? In that phase will it create any problem with the other approved petition? What happens to the other approved petition after I got the visa? Can anyone answer my questions..
odidu kadupeathatha..
Ha ha 🙂
Double like 🙂
@MaLord
:D:D:D
Same feeling…
You are now booked for misusing USCIS H1B and you will be welcomed by NYPD as soon as you step into the United states..Come prepared!
May the USCISian who does the approval find that u have filed duplicate and reject both
Neyellam enga irundhu da vara!!!
Crem,
Don’t believe any negative comments.
As others already discussed, if you filed one through your employer and the other through a consultancy, choose the one you filed with the employer and withdraw the other one.
If you are located outside USA and applied through two different consultancies, then check the attorney who has good reviews, choose that and go for stamping. Only when the stamping is successful withdraw the other one.
Thanks Man.
I know it is frustrating to all others and it is embarrassing to me too that I spoiled some one’s chance.
I know duplicate filing means same employer filing twice for same applicant.
It is just lottery picking program logic flaw.. 🙁
it will be big problem for you… US will scrutinize after post processing. this will consider as Duplicate submission
Don’t spread rumor, This is not duplicate case scenario.
Ada Pavi..Enada lil Rascal…2 Applications and that too two selected..Pure Cheating Naai
because of you -one genuine candidate lost the chance… Think and do whatever you are doing…
Crem,
If both get approved, you can pick the better one and go for stamping through them. I don’t remember instances when person was grilled during visa stamping for multiple filings. Although, USCIS can question multiple filing if they feel the 2 employers conspired to file it together etc.
Hey any one from Nam Tech consultancy , I didn’t get any update yet. can I still hope or give up.
I have query , is there quota for every consultancy and also each company in case if random selection . How its work can some one update.
also I want to try from good consultancy next year. can some one suggest me names.
Last Hope..Waiting for Non-AD/RP/CA. If luck favors my receipt might be in the last batch. fingers crossed.
Hoping the Same for me too
Hope the same for me too..!
Guys,
I have contacted my employer and he is saying we will get our receipt number (assuming if its picked)by the month of june or mid july.
I am confused.
🙂 does he mean rejection , still better my employer says nothing ….
May be you cheque got encashed by the USCIS. So your employer might be waiting for receipt number
CTS
Seriously the game over for cts ?
Yes
How do you say so? Any concrete evidence
Yes, Its over… All selected candidates have been already notified…
Bcoz CTS’s attrition control doesn’t depend on H1B filling.
We believe as of today, we are the best option as long as H1B filling is concern.
HR_CTS
Are u from CTS HR department really? ur EMP ID pls
Please do not post false information’s
Any update from TCS as i read only one person got update in VTS
TCS Chennai: I got email today from FDFU. Mine is picked in lottery..
May I know when your friend got the update? Is it direct in VTS or he got mail? And where is your friend from? Real test of patience for us….
I have a question. If lottery picked candidates got rejected in approval or Interview, what will happen to those slots? Is there any waiting list for this lottery system? ?
No… Don’t apply unnecessary logic…
Hi,
Check the last year blogs. One guy got receipt notice in August and was surprised. Actually he was expecting the return package. USCIS will certainly replace those slots. Do not expect anything until you receive your return package . Stay calm and pray god. Wish you best of luck!!!
Heard TCS has already sent updates to ppl who are selected? Is it true? o.O
It’s not. I have friends in other accounts and none of them and their frinds have got an update via email or VTS
Did you get the mail from FDFU team? Whats ur status? i heard all from TCS Chennai received mails frm FDFU team
Only an update came… some of them got selected… but since it is being done in batches… there is still hope for us.
Any update from Capgemini?
I have a question. If lottery picked candidates got rejected in approval or Interview, what will happen to those slots? Is there any waiting list for this lottery system?
Ok can anyone answer this?
If lottery picked candidates got rejected in approval or Interview, what will happen to those slots? Is there any waiting list for this lottery system?
Question,
In one of the past year lottery announcements, USCIS mentioned that they selected additional petitions (wait-list) to handle those that will be denied etc. However, there is not much clarity on how it happens, what’s the count etc.
last year till when u remember people receiving receipts? Mid May or early june?????? Tell me Admin.
Google h1B2016 updates and check the forums. no need to ask the admin frnd
All IGATE peoples who got selected in lottery have received an email confirmation from mobility team yesterday. Also, mobility team has told them to wait for receipt number. They will be updating it in VRF shortly.
Any one got update from CTS today?
CTS KOC
No update from CTS today as far as i know
No update from TCS yet
Any updates from CSC ?
What is the rejection % after being selected in lottery ? such as document insufficient or Interview ?
15% roughly? once the petition is approved there is very slim chances that it will be denied in the interview. so, majority of the filtering happens in the ‘Approval Process’
Got my Rejected pack today… 🙁
Oops… which Company/Consultant ?
Thanks really for updating. This is how we get to know what to expect ! So this means USCIS have started sending the rejection notices….
Good luck to you for your next time!
Best of luck Next time.. Sorry to hear… Many of us will join you soon.. Dont worry.
Anyone from Infosys got update from GI team?
Not yet
Starting from May 15th
all other companies CTS, TCS.. are declaring the result. But still Infy is taking lot of time to update the result. its frustrating to wait.
One of my teammate’s friend from Pune got selected…!!
Infy Pune DC,
Any updates in your DC.. Is the above comment is true?
Also, prvs day, i saw another comment regarding Pune DC notification.
Any Updates from IBM..No update in INS zoom to..do we have any possibilities to know whether our cash is encashed/not ?!
Unfortunately IBM wont share the check number!!!!!!
Till when we can expect the mail in IBM ? One of my friend received on 18th May last year.
Can we say game over for IBM guys or still hope?
I do not think so….. 90% of the result should come before May 15th…. if we did not get any result by May end… then I think its game over…….
Check with HR if you have any personal connection.. else, no way!
ctsfolks,any reciepts received today? or any updates from GM team?
No. As per my knowledge.
No news till now…
its game over for CTS
is this a confirmed news,got the update from any reliable source like GM team?
Good
Yes, a friend in GM team told this, they have send all the receipts and may be single digit number of entries can be expected till May 12. 98% its game over for CTS . Congrats to all who go through 🙂
@GameOver CTS
Strange! I haven’t heard anything like this. Even the GM do not know how many receipts are expected in the upcoming days.
#24theMovie
Where Will I get the time traveller watch from Suriya 24 movie so that I can go back and start the lottery again ?!!??!!??
He threw it somewhere in and around megamalai. Go and find it.
any updates from kellton tech
Any Updates from Bollywood? :))
Any updates from techm??
No…
No…
Any updates from TCS??
Seriously???? Wait till June end for the first batch of results…
Yes, All those have selected in lottery have been already notified…
If you haven’t received any mailed until now, you can consider it over.
To HR_TCS,
Better luck next time!!.. HRs do not have a role to play in publishing lottery results in TCS..
are you sure ?
Yes, I am.. This is my 3rd attempt. I know the process very well.
Gus, Any update for HCL ?? Haven’t heard any update from ISG .
all done for this year.. no hopes are left..
I still believe. I will wait till i get rejection notice.
RP — gone case , nothing left , what to do guys , everything looks so bad now.
Chann SE Jo toota koi sapna jag soona soona laage,
Lol… Chill bro, I am also in the same boat. But this is not the end of the world. Stay positive and focused.
Non-Ad/RP is there any hope left?
who will provide our check is en cashed or not?
Obama will come personally n tell u…
ha ha !! Donald Trumph !!
To answer your question — if your application applied through any consultancy ask your employer . If your application applied through any MNC ….then wait for result.
NON AD/RP/CA, till which date we can keep hope of getting a receipt.
till you get the return package. Hope for the best !!!
As per a comment from NK yesterday it seems GM updated that only 2 batches of receipts have been released ,so do we (cts guys) can still have our hopes?whats your comments/updates on this folks
Is this genuine information?
I got the same update from my manager.. Keep your hopes alive still may end…
i think we may have another batch …last batch
if we have another batch then good…. lets wait till this week end.
GM confirmed that they are not receiving bulk number of cases now. Getting cases in single digit and sharing the same. however, asked to wait until month end based on previous year end date. some less than 5% hope sticking around..!
CTSGUY,
So no chance of a bulk (last) batch as we expected?
Yes you are right….getting receipts in single digits from sday
ctsfolks,
Who is NK?
Ippadi usupethi usupethi yae odamba ranakalam aakireengalae da…
Wrong! GM informed so far they have received 24 batches till last week Friday 🙂
Hi, Any update from people who have applied through AVANT healthcare?
I’ve not received any update from my company can anyone please suggest me still some chances are there or not ?
Any updates from GIMS
No updates man…
People whose check were cashed….have they started to receive receipts….mine was cashed on 29th….I have seen someone here whose check was cashed on 21st…have you revived receipt??
My check got encashed on May 2. Still waiting for receipt..
Simi,
My check got cashed on 4th May..Waiting for the receipt.
Nope not yet. Double checked with employer. Check has been cashed April 21 st . Looks like receipt is lost in transit. Employer doesn’t want to share the receipt number from the back of the check seems like.
My employer said he received receipts but not mine. still hall i wait. please share your comments
Better accept his reply as no n move ahead…
Its been more than a week since data entry completed by USCIS and we have already received all expected receipts…
Need to crush these fraud consultancies.. Because of them, genuine applicants are affected
@CTS guys,
If anyone receive receipt mail today, please update here.
Sure… I am waiting… 🙂
Any update from CTS? Is the game over?
Selected peoples have been already notified, If you have not received yet then consider it over…
HI @ALL
I haven’t received the mail yet, is there any hope ?
No, Better start giving interviews…
Anyone got picked from Infy Banglr DC ?
No. I talked with GICS person. he said that results will be declared on 17th may
Results for all picked ones ?
IBMer’s any news? Do we still have any hope? Till when we can wait????
No updates yet, not hearing anything from last week
Hi Guys,
MY Status shows “Received acknowlegment from Immigration authority”
Does this mean i have been selected for Lottery or they have this status for all H1 filled candidates?
Please comment….
Every company has its own status, please mention in which do you belongs to?
All the [admin update: content suppressed] who run fraud consultancies here , have fun, we will make sure you shut shop in the united states. My aim is to bundle out all fraud consultancies from my country.
immig-chicago.com/articles/on-site-h-1b-fraud-investigations-on-the-rise/
USAPatriot,
We appreciate your concern & your help in leading this effort. We want to let people share their ideas freely but under certain guidelines.
Kutti Kamini,
Don’t worry. Tell bhabhi to control for 2 years until your graduation
Why can’t miracles happen … Om bheem bush … let my attorney send me an email my check is enchased …
InOct – 2016 i should be landing in USA … before trump becomes president 🙂
Om bhoom bush…
Hi,
Is there anyone who applied through RLT technologies